ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting that the delta variant is now the dominant strain of the coronavirus in the United States, making up 51.7% of cases.

Doctors said the variant shows up in people with the same symptoms as the original COVID-19 strain with a cough, fever and body aches, but it has proven to be more contagious and severe. 

Dr. Emil Lesho, healthcare epidemiologist and infections disease specialist for Rochester Regional Health, said people who are vaccinated do not have much to worry about though.

"The vast majority of the studies to date show that all the vaccines prevent serious illness and hospitalization and death from the delta variant,” said Dr. Lesho. But if you're unvaccinated, that's where the new cases are occurring."

Dr. Lesho said people who are not vaccinated have been referred to as "variant factories" because the more people the variant infects, the more it can mutate. But that doesn't mean vaccinated people can't test positive for the virus too.

"It doesn't prevent complete infection with it, but you don't get really sick with it," said Lesho. Most of the time, what we're seeing is you don't get sick at all."

Lesho said vaccinated people are also less likely to spread it.

"So if you're not really having a lot of symptoms and you don't get a lot of symptoms, you're much less likely to spread it as well,” said Lesho. “And that's one of the main reasons behind the CDC's recommendation that people don't need to wear the masks if they're fully vaccinated anymore."

However, unvaccinated people are seeing the severe symptoms of the delta variant, often sending them to the hospital. Dr. Lesho wanted to remind people that this is why those who are unvaccinated, especially children under the age of 12 who are not eligible yet for the vaccine, should remain masked out in public.